Equine Sports Medicine Practice

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België
Waterloo
Equine Sports Medicine Practice

Equine Sports Medicine Practice is a specialized veterinary service dedicated to sport and race hors

The ESMP offers ambulatory consultations as well as medical and athletic follow-ups in working horses. It also proposes special diagnostic exams to evaluate poor performance, whatever the horses’ discipline. Each athlete requires a specific physical preparation and needs to be closely monitored to reach peak performance and stay healthy throughout his career. With cutting edge equipment, the ESMP

provides special exams that may be done both at rest and during exercise, in real working conditions. Among the specialized exams that ESMP provides :
- Exercise tests
- Airway video-endoscopy during exercise
- Lower airway endoscopy
- Doppler Echocardiography
- Telemetric ECG
- Gastroscopy

02/09/2026

🚨🦟 West Nile Virus in horses detected in Belgium— what horse owners should know

West Nile Virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne disease that can affect horses and, in some cases, cause serious neurological disease.

🦠 How does it spread?
Horses become infected through the bite of an infected mosquito. Horses do not transmit the virus directly to other horses or to people

🐴 What should you look out for?
Most infected horses show no signs, but some can develop neurological symptoms such as:
• Fever
• Muscle weakness
• Ataxia or difficulty walking
• Tremors or twitching
• Depression or unusual behaviour
• Recumbency (being unable to stand)

⚠️ Neurological signs in a horse should always be taken seriously. Contact your veterinarian promptly if you notice anything unusual.

🛡️ Prevention matters
Reducing mosquito exposure can help lower the risk:
• Remove standing water where mosquitoes can breed
• Keep horses indoors during peak mosquito activity where practical
• Use appropriate mosquito repellents
• Consider vaccination— talk to your veterinarian about whether it is recommended for your horse

As veterinarians, we’re here to help you assess the risks in your area and choose the best prevention strategy for your horse. ❤️🐎

Stay informed, stay vigilant, and protect your horses from mosquito-borne disease.

EquineVeterinarian VetLife HorseCare MosquitoBorneDisease EquineMedicine HorseVet

30/08/2026

🇬🇧 Before we even reach them, horses have read our outline, our pace, our energy.
Then the nose comes in: not affection yet, just data collection. Who are you? Are you safe?

Horses live in a different sensory world than we do — their umwelt — built on scent, posture, micro-movement. But research shows they can match a human voice to a face, and read joy or anger in us. Two different worlds, one shared language: trust.

That trust isn’t just heartwarming — it’s clinical gold. As vets, we know a horse that feels safe with us lets us actually find what’s wrong. Building that relationship is the exam.

🇫🇷 Avant même de les approcher, les chevaux nous calculent déjà: notre démarche, notre énergie. Puis vient le nez : pas de l’affection, juste une collecte d’informations. Qui êtes-vous ? Êtes-vous digne de confiance ?

Les chevaux vivent dans un monde sensoriel différent du nôtre — leur umwelt — fait d’odeurs, de posture, de micro-mouvements. Mais la recherche montre qu’ils peuvent associer une voix humaine à un visage, et percevoir la joie ou la colère chez nous. Deux mondes différents, un langage commun : la confiance.

Cette confiance n’est pas qu’émouvante — c’est un outil clinique précieux. En tant que vétérinaires, nous savons qu’un cheval qui se sent en sécurité avec nous nous permet vraiment de trouver ce qui ne va pas. Construire cette relation, c’est l’examen clinique.

🐴

23/08/2026

🇫🇷 Là où le sport se joue. 🏆🐴

Aujourd’hui, une partie de la team ESMP est à Aachen, au cœur de l’action pour la finale individuelle des FEI World Championships.

Mais la performance ne commence pas le jour de la compétition. Elle se construit bien avant, grâce à une préparation rigoureuse et un suivi constant, aux côtés des chevaux et de leurs équipes.
Parce qu’au plus haut niveau, chaque détail compte. 💙

🇬🇧 Where the sport happens. 🏆🐴

Today, part of the ESMP team is in Aachen, right at the heart of the action for the FEI World Championships Individual Final.

But performance doesn’t start on competition day. It is built long before, through careful preparation and consistent follow-up, alongside horses and their teams.
Because at the highest level, every detail counts. 💙

14/08/2026

Meet Our Heroes: Dr. Emmanuelle Van Erck 🤝

For Dr. Emmanuelle Van Erck, founder of ESMP in Belgium, equine sports medicine has never been just a specialty - it has been a lifelong passion.

After graduating from the École Nationale Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort, she dedicated her career to understanding how horses breathe, perform and stay healthy throughout their athletic lives. 🐎 Her scientific journey has taken her from Belgium to the US, Sweden and France, always driven by one question: How can we improve the wellbeing of the horse?

Over the years, Emmanuelle has become one of Europe’s leading specialists in equine internal and sports medicine. She earned her PhD in respiratory function, became a Diplomate of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM), has authored more than 75 scientific publications and continues to contribute to research, education and international conferences. 🚀

Yet what truly defines her is not the list of achievements, but the way she shares her knowledge. Whether teaching veterinary students or speaking at international meetings, she believes that advancing equine medicine only happens when experience is passed on.

As former Team Vet and former BEPS veterinarian, she continues to combine scientific excellence with practical veterinary care. 👩‍⚕️ Every horse she examines, every lecture she gives and every research project she joins reflects the same commitment: helping horses perform at their best while safeguarding their health for the future.

For Emmanuelle, every horse deserves to be understood before it is treated. That philosophy continues to inspire colleagues and students alikeand makes her an invaluable part of the Altano community. 🧡

08/08/2026

Recently, the Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre was delighted to host Dr Emmanuelle van Erck‑Westergren, a specialist in equine internal medicine and sports medicine, who holds diplomate status with both the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM) and the European College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ECVSMR). 🙏

Two days of lectures and practical case work focused on the science behind equine athletic performance, including respiratory diagnostics, exercise testing and gastroenterology.

It was a fantastic opportunity for vets from Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre, Canterbury Equine and Cambridge Equine Hospitals to discuss and learn alongside a global authority on these topics to ensure that we are best placed to care for our equine patients and their owners. 🐴

02/08/2026

❤️ Advancing Equine Cardiology
Horses diagnosed with atrial fibrillation can now be treated at the Centre Hospitalier Vétérinaire Équin du Livet, in collaboration with Dr. Lisa De Lange from ESMP, using Transvenous Electrical Cardioversion (TVEC).

This collaboration provides horses suffering from cardiac arrhythmias with access to specialised care based on TVEC, the gold-standard technique for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

❤️ Faire progresser la cardiologie équine
Les chevaux atteints de fibrillation atriale peuvent désormais être pris en charge au Centre Hospitalier Vétérinaire Équin du Livet, en collaboration avec le Dr Lisa De Lange d’ESMP, grâce à la technique de TVEC (Transvenous Electrical Cardioversion).

Cette collaboration permet d’offrir aux chevaux souffrant d’arythmies cardiaques une prise en charge spécialisée, reposant sur une technique de référence pour le traitement de la fibrillation atriale.

26/07/2026

🇬🇧 A different way to support your horse’s respiratory recovery… 🐴🌬️

Respiratory rehabilitation isn’t limited to ridden exercise. Simple exercises can help re-engage the respiratory muscles and improve upper airway stability, particularly after respiratory infections, airway inflammation, or during periods of enforced rest.

🎥 Here’s a practical tip you can easily incorporate into your horse’s recovery programme. Small exercises can make a meaningful difference on the road back to optimal respiratory function.

⸻

🇫🇷 Un autre moyen de soutenir la récupération respiratoire de votre cheval… 🐴🌬️

La rééducation respiratoire ne se limite pas au travail monté. Certains exercices simples peuvent aider à réactiver les muscles respiratoires et à retravailler la stabilité des voies aériennes supérieures, notamment après une infection, une inflammation des voies respiratoires ou pendant une période de repos forcé.

🎥 Découvrez une astuce facile à intégrer dans votre routine de récupération. Chaque détail peut contribuer à un retour progressif vers une fonction respiratoire optimale.

19/07/2026

🇬🇧 Atrial fibrillation is the most common performance-limiting cardiac arrhythmia in horses. But did you know it can often be successfully treated?

TVEC (Transvenous Electrical Cardioversion) is the gold-standard treatment to restore a normal heart rhythm and help horses safely return to performance.

In this carousel, discover:
✔️ What atrial fibrillation is
✔️ How TVEC works
✔️ Why it is specifically adapted to horses
✔️ The key benefits and recovery process

👉 Swipe to learn more.
Questions? Our team is happy to help.

🇫🇷 La fibrillation atriale est l’arythmie cardiaque la plus fréquente chez le cheval de sport. Saviez-vous qu’elle peut souvent être traitée avec succès ?

Le TVEC (cardioversion électrique transveineuse) est aujourd’hui le traitement de référence pour rétablir un rythme cardiaque normal et permettre un retour à la performance.

Dans ce carrousel, découvrez :
✔️ Ce qu’est la fibrillation atriale
✔️ Comment fonctionne le TVEC
✔️ Pourquoi cette technique est spécifique au cheval
✔️ Les principaux bénéfices et le suivi après la procédure

👉 Faites défiler pour en savoir plus.
Une question ? Notre équipe se fera un plaisir d’y répondre.

11/07/2026

🇬🇧
💡 Did you know what a TVEC is used for?
Transvenous Electrical Cardioversion (TVEC) is the gold standard treatment for atrial fibrillation in horses. It restores a normal heart rhythm, giving affected horses the best chance of returning to their previous level of performance.

❤️ This horse truly needed the procedure… and today, he’s back in great shape.

Every TVEC is performed with precision and teamwork, helping our equine patients return to sport safely.

🇫🇷
💡 Savez-vous à quoi sert une TVEC ?
La cardioversion transveineuse électrique (TVEC) est le traitement de référence de la fibrillation atriale chez le cheval. Elle permet de restaurer un rythme cardiaque normal et d’offrir aux chevaux concernés les meilleures chances de retrouver leurs performances.

❤️ Ce cheval en avait réellement besoin… et aujourd’hui, il est de retour en pleine forme.

Chaque procédure est réalisée avec précision et en équipe, pour accompagner nos patients vers un retour au sport en toute sécurité.

Adresse

Waterloo

Téléphone

+32497248684

Site Web

http://www.esmp.be/

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